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A month after a massive tornado destroyed or significantly damaged about 650 business in Tuscaloosa County, resiliency has taken root. Many business owners who could have given up have chosen to clean up and keep going, instead.
TUSCALOOSA | A light breeze flowed through the storm-bent iron bars in a glassless door that's now the entrance to The Dog House, a pet grooming and supply shop on McFarland Boulevard. Plywood has replaced the shop's blown out windows, but inside pet supplies are neatly arranged, the floor is clean and, in the back, groomers give pooches summertime coifs.
“We have the air conditioning on, it's all going out the front door, but at least we are open,” said the shop's owner, Jonathan Howard, as the cool dry air blended with the 90-degree midday heat last week.
Things might not be perfect. But a month after a massive tornado destroyed or significantly damaged about 650 business in Tuscaloosa County, resiliency has taken root. Many business owners who could have given up have chosen to clean up and keep going, instead.
Typical is The Dog House, a small, family-owned business, which customers still call by its old name, Jonathan's Grooming Shack. It reopened about a week and half after the April 27 killer tornado ripped apart nearby buildings, reducing many to skeletal shells or piles of rubble.
“We were able to open as soon as they let the traffic back into the area,” Howard said.
His landlord repaired damage to the roof and, for a day, the shop used a portable generator until electrical service was restored.
“At the time the tornado hit, there were seven adults, two infants and two dogs in this building” (which also houses A-1 Alabama Key and Locksmith), Howard said.
The people and the dogs took refuge in the two businesses' bathrooms. The adults huddled and prayed as the building shook violently and debris slammed against the outer walls, he said.
All survived. And while the building was damaged, it was not destroyed.
“It's a good, strong building. Our landlord built it well,” Howard said. “It saved our lives.”
Since reopening, Howard said he has put up a small banner near the road each day to let customers know the business is operating amid the surrounding devastation. Customers are coming in and they're calling for grooming appointments, although he said calls are being routed to his cell phone because the store's landline phone is still out.
The shop was nestled between a Mattress King store and a CVS pharmacy at what some have described as Tuscaloosa's ground zero — the intersection of 15th Street and McFarland Boulevard.
The pet grooming and locksmith shops, unlike their neighboring businesses, are set back from McFarland with a parking lot in front. That perhaps gave them some protection. Businesses in neighboring buildings, which were closer to the road, were not so lucky. Rubble and twisted wreckage fills the destroyed Mattress King store to the north, and to the south, the brick facade from CVS was partly peeled away, exposing insulation to the now gentle breezes.
The closed CVS store's windows are boarded up and its roof is damaged, but in its parking lot, a red CVS trailer with a staffed pharmacy inside handles prescriptions and medications. It does not have the aisles of merchandise customers might expect at a CVS, but it is allowing people who used the store to fill their prescriptions to get some normalcy back into their lives.
At A-1 Alabama Key and Locksmith, plywood fills the door frame. Painted on the plywood in huge white letters is one word — “Open.”
It's another sign of business resiliency.
Three of the locksmith's mobile vans that were parked outside the shop were destroyed by the twister. But three other vans were on the road at the time and survived. For more than a week after the storm, A-1 served customers from the surviving vans, said employee Christopher Smith.
A lot of calls were coming from landlords who needed keys made as they moved tenants from damaged units into other housing, he said.
Since reopening, A-1 has stayed busy, he said.
A few blocks west on McFarland Boulevard, the Wood Square Shopping Center lies in ruins. Its two biggest tenants were Hobby Lobby and Big Lots. Both are gone. When they will return remains unknown.
“We are still in the midst of evaluating the conditions created by this severe storm; we have every intention to reopen,” said an email from Vince Parker, a spokesman at the Oklahoma City-based Hobby Lobby. “We are hoping to reopen as soon as possible.”
Many businesses destroyed or damaged by the tornado are still working with their insurers. A city-imposed moratorium on rebuilding in the tornado recovery zone is scheduled to last into August.
On 26th Avenue East in Alberta, the Spiller Furniture store lost a wall during the tornado. On Tuesday, a demolition crew took down the damaged portion of the building.
“About a third of the structure is gone,” said Shane Spiller, president of the family-owned chain of furniture stores. “Two-thirds (of the building) looks OK.”
But professional engineers will have to determine if the building can be saved, he said.
Spiller Furniture wants to have a store in Alberta, Spiller said, but he is not sure how soon crews can rebuild, because of the moratorium.
The store's employees, meanwhile, have been transferred to Spiller's two other stores in the Tuscaloosa area, which continue to serve customers.
Another furniture retailer, Your Way Furniture, served Alberta for 21 years until it was destroyed by the tornado. It said it has moved its operations to its warehouse location at 7525 Skyland Blvd. E. in Cottondale until it can rebuild.
Skyland Boulevard will be the new home of Contemporary Mitsubishi, said Torrey Cochrane, the auto dealership's owner.
“I was on 15th Street since 1977,” he said. “I built up a business there over 34 years, and it was all gone in less than 34 seconds.”
The tornado destroyed his buildings and all 175 vehicles at the site, causing almost $4 million in losses, he said.
But the company is still in business. Cochrane said he has opened a business office at 1010 22nd Ave. and has moved sales staff to Car USA, a pre-owned car lot he has on Skyland. He also has received a variance from the city to set up a double-wide trailer office in front of the old Dillard's Department Store on Skyland.
He said he hopes to have a parts and service department in operation in the Skyland area by next month and he is looking for a location on Skyland to rebuild his dealership.
The Townsend BMW dealership at 3200 Greensboro Ave. was damaged by the tornado. Work is still being done on some of the buildings, but the dealership reopened about two weeks ago after the storm, said Jason Bell, the company's Internet manager.
The fact that businesses have restarted bodes well for the city's future, said Mayor Walt Maddox.
“I think it does demonstrate a resiliency and what we have been seeing here in our community,” he said.
Reach Patrick Rupinski at 205-722-0213 or email@example.com.


text: Share this on Twitter Share this on Facebook Share this on LinkedIn Share this on Sina Weibo Share this on Wechat Share this on LinkedIn Good Morning. Welcome to The Wire’s daily news roundup. Each day, our staff gathers the top China business, finance, and economics headlines from a selection of the world’s leading news organizations. Paid subscribers can have this list emailed directly to their inboxes every day. Subscribe here, and then send us an email at email@example.com to opt in for the Daily Roundup email. The Wall Street Journal Pushback on Xi’s Vision for China Spreads Beyond U.S. — Countries that once avoided upsetting Beijing are moving closer to Washington’s harder stance.China Envisions Its Digital-Currency Future, With Lotteries and a Year’s Worth of Laundry — In the latest trial, residents in the city of Suzhou won a share of 20 million “digital yuan” to spend on online or offline purchases.Alibaba, Ant Face Crackdowns From Chinese Regulators — Beijing takes action against billionaire Jack Ma’s two crown jewels.Jack Ma’s Ant Group Slashes Credit Limits fSubscribe or login to read the rest. Subscribers get full access to: Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else. A weekly curated reading list on China from David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times. A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines. We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.

domain: news


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'Final Fantasy VII' Latest News, Release Date & Update: No Planned Nintendo NX Version
For all the beauty of the upcoming "Final Fantasy 7" remake on next-gen gaming systems, it seems as though Square Enix currently doesn't have any plans of porting the game to the Nintendo NX.
Well, Nintendo NX compatibility isn't the only thing missing from the "Final Fantasy 7" remake—since its announcement by Square Enix in last year's E3 and a trailer featuring gameplay footage of the famous Shinra Corporation bombing mission intro sequence, there hasn't really been much word about the remake.
However, director Tetsuya Nomura confirmed that development of the "Final Fantasy 7" remake is still heavily underway despite a lack of updates from Square Enix. While there is no scheduled release date as of the moment, it's still happening. Nomura said in an interview with Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu that they're preparing the game for a big info reveal, instead of releasing small bits and pieces every now and then.
Right now, all we know about the "Final Fantasy VII" remake is that the game will take place over many episodes so that the story is prolonged and better fleshed-out, and the system has been completely overhauled to play like an action RPG instead of a traditional JRPG, as the "Final Fantasy" games have traditionally been.
As for Square Enix's other "Final Fantasy" projects, "Final Fantasy XV's" director, Hajime Tabata previously confirmed that as of the moment, the game is also not coming to the Nintendo NX. Looks like the next-gen Nintendo console is not getting any of the "Final Fantasy" love in the foreseeable future, but players shouldn't rule it out.
As soon as Square Enix reveals more info about both "Final Fantasy VII" and "Final Fantasy XV," we'll let you know. "Final Fantasy XV" is scheduled for release on September 30.


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Antrop thrilled to win silver at Agency of the Year 2019
Once again this year, Antrop was given top ratings in the huge industry survey, Agency of the Year. Here’s what our customers have to say about us.
Every year, Antrop takes part in Agency of the Year, which ranks Sweden’s best agencies based on their customers’ satisfaction. In the past four years, we have received either gold or silver place in the competition. This year, we were thrilled to win silver, with wonderful reviews from our customers. Our customers love that at Antrop, we:
- are experts in our field
- generate enormous business benefit
- have excellent delivery reliability
- are a great strategic partner
- provide a huge impact/benefit for the money spent
0% of our customers want to change agencies
The fact is that our customers are so satisfied with our expertise that 0% of them would consider changing agencies – even if their contact at Antrop quit, they wouldn’t cast a glance elsewhere. We are so happy to hear that once again this year!
We are proud and thrilled to receive top placement in Sweden’s biggest industry survey.
But Agency of the Year means even more than that to us. We participate annually to see what our customers think of us so that we can do our job even better.
A generous company with great values and wonderful employees with the right attitude and mindset.
Antrop is extremely forward-thinking in their ideas and expertise, which helped us make selections and set requirements.
They have a deep understanding and incredible insights into user behavior in digital channels.


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Intel CEO warns that semiconductor shortage will continue until 2023
The pandemic of the new coronavirus continues to cause a global shortage of semiconductors, but semiconductor giant Intel seems to think that this shortage may continue until 2023.
Intel CEO warns chip shortage to last until 2023 as demand soars --Nikkei Asia
Intel CEO again warns that chip shortage will last until 2023 | TechRadar
Intel's CEO Believes The Ongoing Chip Shortage Could Last Until 2023 --Game Informer
Due to the impact of the new coronavirus, the factory utilization rate has declined, and resellers have noticed, so the shortage of semiconductor supply continues even at the time of writing the article. AMD CEO Lisa Su said, 'The situation will continue to be difficult in the first half of 2022, but it will not be serious in the second half.'
AMD CEO Lisa Su said, 'Semiconductor shortages will begin to be resolved in the second half of 2022'-GIGAZINE
Nikkei Asia, the international edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, interviewed Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger and found that the company expects a semiconductor shortage to continue until 2023.
According to the report, Gelsinger CEO said, 'The overall semiconductor shortage is very serious, but the industry has grown about 5% each year before the new coronavirus.' 'The new coronavirus disrupts the supply chain. It has a negative impact. Demand has increased by 20% year-on-year, again due to supply chain disruptions, and this explosive demand continues to this day. ' Emphasizes that the impact of the shortage of semiconductors is serious.
Gelsinger said it would take 'time' to close the gap between supply and demand, and that it would take at least three years to meet it. In addition, Gelsinger CEO predicted that the semiconductor shortage would 'continue until 2022' in July 2021, but in October 2021, he reaffirmed that 'the balance between supply and demand will not be balanced until 2023'. I was there.
Intel announces the third quarter financial results of 2021, the internal semiconductor shortage is solved, but chip sales are sluggish --GIGAZINE
Intel says it is expanding existing semiconductor factories in Arizona and New Mexico to address the semiconductor shortage. In addition, it is aiming to expand many factory facilities in other regions, and has announced that it will invest $ 7.1 billion (about 810 billion yen) to expand its manufacturing capacity in Malaysia. 'We will soon be announcing semiconductor factories in the United States and Europe,' Gelsinger said.
It was reported in September 2021 that Intel plans to build a semiconductor factory in Europe.
It turns out that Intel plans to invest more than 2 trillion yen to build a semiconductor factory in Europe --GIGAZINE
In addition to Intel, 'Toshiba, IBM, and TSMC are other companies that have expressed pessimistic views on the forecast of semiconductor supply shortages,' TechRadar of technology media reports.
in Hardware, Posted by logu_ii


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The City of Hartsville recently announced the launch of the All-America City Comeback program to help small businesses recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Byerly Foundation has approved an initial grant of $150,000 for the All-America City Comeback Business 2020 Campaign. Since the initial funding by the Byerly Foundation, several other organizations have also contributed to the campaign. This All-America City Comeback Business Campaign is imperative to help save our small businesses that are suffering the economic impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign would provide short-term relief to brick and mortar businesses within the city limits of Hartsville that are experiencing a reduction in revenue because of COVID-19. The need to support small businesses that are struggling to access capital, keep their doors open, and or re-open is critical to the economic vitality of Hartsville and its citizens.From hartsvillesc.gov.
Learn more about the program or apply for it online at hartsvillesc.gov/comeback.


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In all of my years working in cybersecurity, I never thought I’d create my own framework — let alone one for...
This Market Report segments vendors within the still emerging managed detection and response (MDR) services market.
The COVID crisis is presenting most organisations with unprecedented situations, but it does not make cyber security less of a priority. On the contrary, cyber security – whether it is in support of remote working, e-commerce or digitalised supply chains – will be a pillar of the “new normal”. Now is the time to deal with it strategically, and from the top down.
Cybersecurity has historically been a tough topic to explain to boards. Now with the cost of breaches increasing rapidly, cyber...
Two recent reports highlight the current cyber security paradox: While the COVID pandemic has turned business and society upside down, well-established cyber security practices – some known for decades – remain the best way to protect yourself.
For any organisation above a certain size, effective and efficient protection can only result from the layered application of protective measures at people, process and technology level. And in that order.


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Kenyan startup Peach Cars secures $5 million seed investment
Kenyan startup Peach Cars KE has secured a $5 million seed investment to fuel its ambitious plans of transforming the automotive industry in Kenya.
Kenyan startup Peach Cars KE has secured a $5 million seed investment to fuel its ambitious plans of transforming the automotive industry in Kenya. The funding round was led by Japan-based UTEC – The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners and other angel investors, including Shintaro Yamada (founder and CEO of Mercari), Peter Kenevan (VP, Head of Japan at PayPal), and Hiroaki Ohta (general partner at Japan’s WASEDA University Ventures (WUV)).
Founded in 2020, Peach Cars aims to address the challenges faced by buyers and sellers in the used car market by providing a transparent, efficient, and trustworthy online platform. With a focus on enhancing the customer experience and streamlining the car purchasing process, the startup intends to disrupt the industry and create a new standard of excellence in the Kenyan automotive market.
The funding will enable the startup to expand its operations, strengthen its technological infrastructure, and drive user acquisition to establish itself as the go-to destination for buying and selling used cars in Kenya. Peach Cars’ online platform leverages advanced technologies to provide accurate vehicle valuation, comprehensive inspection reports, and personalized recommendations to potential buyers.
By fostering trust and transparency in the used car market, the startup aims to overcome the existing pain points and improve the overall experience for buyers and sellers alike.
Empower Africa Times Newsletter
You may also like...
In a pivotal move to address the gender funding gap in Africa’s entrepreneurial landscape, Village Capital and Standard Chartered Bank have joined forces to launch a pilot financing facility.
Tunisian team collaboration startup Cynoia has announced a significant funding milestone, securing $930,000 to fuel its expansion into the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), focusing on Senegal and Ivory Coast.


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Facebook has identified and banned a “hate group” that had tried to review-bomb the latest Star Wars film, and was planning to try again with Marvel’s upcoming Black Panther movie.
Facebook Groups are a great feature on the platform, both for users and for Facebook itself. However, they can be used for good, or bad. It just goes to show that if you help certain people to organise, you might actually have a problem on your hands. Such a problem was identified in a Facebook Group called “Down With Disney’s Treatment of Franchises and its Fanboys,” which was recently banned by Facebook for trying to plant bad reviews of new Disney and Marvel films on Rotten Tomatoes.
The group called for its members to review-bomb Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and had more recently planned to do the same to Marvel’s Black Panther movie that will open in mid-February 2018. Its admins – obviously against Disney’s and Marvel’s recent efforts featuring women and people of colour in positions of power – had created an event calling for members to post bad reviews of the films on Rotten Tomatoes.
After it was banned, Rotten Tomatoes announced that it will be closely monitoring reviews of Black Panther to make sure there is no foul-play, and explained that it will not tolerate hate speech:
[quote]While we respect our fans’ diverse opinions, we do not condone hate speech. Our team of security, network and social experts continue to closely monitor our platforms and any users who engage in such activities will be blocked from our site and their comments removed as quickly as possible.[/quote]
The group that was banned is probably not the only one out there, but this is only the first step to start weeding out negative behaviour.
More from Facebook
Page owners take note, Facebook announced that gray verification badges - used by small businesses to authenticate their Pages - …
Facebook announced that ads in Search Results are now available to all advertisers; new campaigns using Automatic Placements will automatically include …
Your organic Page impressions may soon drop as Facebook is rolling out a change to how it counts real impressions …


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SHANGHAI (AP) — General Motors China and state-owned automaker FAW Group Corp. launched a 2 billion yuan ($293 million) joint venture yesterday to make light-duty trucks and vans, initially for the fast-growing Chinese market.
GM said the joint venture will use two existing factories affiliated with FAW and have a capacity of more than 100,000 vehicles. That is expected to double by the end of 2010, GM China Group President Kevin Wale told reporters in a conference call.
Plans call for building a new assembly plant in Harbin, he said.
China is a key growth market for GM, which is expanding here despite its difficulties in the U.S. market.
“Light trucks and vans have a significant role in China and other parts of the world,” Wale said. “Adding trucks rounds out our vehicle portfolio in China. It’s really a key focus for future growth.”
The 50-50 joint venture, based in the northeastern Chinese city of Changchun, where FAW is also based, will make FAW-branded vehicles for the Chinese market, GM said in a statement. The venture might make GM-branded vehicles for export later, but the focus for now is on meeting demand in China, Wale said.


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CHICO, CA – October 17, 2012 – AmeraMex International, Inc. (OTC: AMMX), a provider of heavy equipment for logistics companies (stevedoring), infrastructure construction, commercial farming and mining companies, announced today that it has received an order totaling $300,000 for paving and construction equipment.
The equipment is in inventory and will ship by the end of October to a construction company in Pago Pago, the capital city of American Samoa.
Mr. Lee Hamre, CEO of AmeraMex, commented, “We have received several substantial orders for shipment in October and expect the backlog of equipment orders to expand significantly by year end.”
About AmeraMex International
AmeraMex International sells, leases and rents heavy equipment to companies within four industries: construction (light and infrastructure), shipping logistics, mining and commercial farming. AmeraMex International's largest product line is specialized container handling equipment that enables stevedoring companies to quickly and efficiently load and offload container and general freight ships dockside. AmeraMex, with customers in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, has over 30 years of experience in heavy equipment sales and service and inventorys top-of-the-line equipment from manufacturers such as Taylor Machine Works Inc. and Terex Heavy Equipment. For more information visit the AmeraMex website, www.AMMX.net.
McCloud Communications, LLC
Marty Tullio, Managing Member
# # #


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Recalls glass beer mugs recalled due to burn and laceration hazards
About 500 polish beer mugs are being recalled because they can break if heated or used with hot liquid, posing burn and laceration hazards. It involves 16.9 ounce (500 ml) glass beer mugs. The mugs have a label attached to the side of the mug that reads: “Handmade in Poland.” A second label on the bottom of the mug has the HomeGoods style number 069386.
Consumers should immediately stop heating or using the recalled glass beer mugs with hot liquid and return them to the nearest HomeGoods store for a full refund.
None reported in the U.S. HomeGoods has received two reports of the glass beer mugs breaking in Canada when heated or used with hot liquids, including one report of a burn injury to a consumer’s abdomen.
The mugs are sold exclusively at HomeGoods stores nationwide from May 2017 through June 2017 for about $4.
They are manufactured in Poland


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Mobile technology is advancing rapidly that this year alone we will be seeing more devices using octa-core processors. It used to be that smartphone and tablet manufacturers would source their parts such as processors from third party vendors. Now, it seems that they want to control most aspects of the device by manufacturing the parts.
Reports are coming in that LG, Huawei, and even ZTE will be making their own 8 core processors. Rumor has it that ZTE will soon be launching the WiseFone 7750S processor. This is going to be a true octa-core processor which is already undergoing production and could be released in the market as early as next month. While details of this new chip are still very scarce sources in the know say that it is going to require less power compared to the Nvidia Tegra 4 or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800.
There’s still no information when the company will be unveiling this processor however one best avenue would be the upcoming CES 2014 event which will be followed by everyone interested in the latest trends in technology.
Here’s a list of other octa-core processors that we will see in the market
- A new Samsung Exynos 6 Octa chipset: Samsung posted in their twitter account “Flying even higher in 2014”. The company is said to reveal a new chipset at the CES 2014. This time it’s going to be a true octa-core processor and might even come with 64 bit support.
- LG is set to unveil its octa-core processor called the LG Odin. Just like Samsung, the company wants o place its own processor into its increasing portfolio of Android devices. A recent AnTuTu benchmark of the chip shows that it performed similar to the quad core Samsung Exynos 5410. This might meant that it’s not a true octa-core processor and uses only quad cores when performance is needed and the other 4 cores for light tasks.
- The AllWinner A80 is an octa-core processor that combines 4 high performance cores with 4 lower power cores in a big.LITTLE architecture. This allows it create balance in terms of performance and battery life.
- The MediaTek MT6592 is the world’s first true 8 core processor that was unveiled recently and packs 8 low power Cortex-A7 cores. All 8 cores can operate t the same time with a clock speed of between 1.7GHz and 2GHz.


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- Special Sections
- Public Notices
Any entity that manufactures cigarettes to be sold in New Mexico must now make them self-extinguishable.
In nearly his final bill action from the 2009 Legislative session, Gov. Bill Richardson signed House Bill 70, the “Fire Safer Cigarette and Firefighter Protection Act,” into law Wednesday imposing stiff penalties on manufacturers who fail to comply.
This includes entities that produce or cause cigarettes to be produced for sale in New Mexico, including cigarettes to be sold here through an importer. The law also applies to retail dealers engaged in selling cigarettes.
Rep. Jeannette Wallace, R-Los Alamos, Santa Fe and Sandoval County sponsored the bill, which requires manufacturers to comply by Jan. 1, 2010.
Wallace explained in an earlier interview that she sponsored the bill because it’s already law in most other states, clearly indicating its importance.
“One of the reasons I became involved with this bill is that as fire marshal of Los Alamos county, this is just one of our efforts to minimize fires and fire-related deaths in our county.” said Los Alamos Assistant Fire Chief/Fire Marshal Michael Thompson. “Cigarette-caused fires result in the deaths of 700 to 900 people every year across the United States. While not the highest cause of fires, cigarette-caused fires do have the highest death rate.”
Los Alamos has had fires start because of lit cigarettes but they didn’t result in death, Thompson said, adding that last year Santa Fe had a death from a cigarette-caused fire as did Albuquerque this year. “The way these cigarettes work is they are made with thicker paper and special bands so they will self-extinguish when not actively smoked,” Thompson said. “This means they are less likely to ignite in a combustible environment.”
The test method and performance standard required in the Act is in accordance with the American society of testing and materials standard E2187-04 test method for measuring the ignition strength of cigarettes and is conducted on 10 layers of filter paper.
Each certified cigarette will contain lowered permeability bands in the cigarette paper to achieve compliance and will have at least two nominally identical bands on the paper surrounding the tobacco column.
Each cigarette package will be required to carry:
• The marking pursuant to Section 5 of the Fire-Safer Cigarette and Firefighter Protection Act;
• the laboratory that conducted the testing; and
• the date testing occurred.
Each manufacturer must maintain copies of the reports of all tests conducted on all cigarettes offered for sale for a period of three years and make copies of those reports available to the state fire marshal and the attorney general upon written request.
Any manufacturer who fails to make copies of the reports available within 60 days may be assessed a civil penalty up to $10,000 for every day copies are not made available.
A manufacturer or wholesaler who knowingly sells cigarettes in violation of the Fire-Safer Cigarette and Firefighter Protection Act may be assessed a civil penalty up to $100 for each pack not to exceed $100,000 for sales during any 30-day period.
A retail dealer may be assessed a civil penalty not to exceed $100 for each pack not to exceed $25,000 in any 30-day period.
In addition to any penalty prescribed by law, any corporation, partnership, sole proprietor, limited partnership or association engaged in the manufacture of cigarettes that knowingly makes a false certification may be assessed a civil penalty of $75,000-$250,000 for each offense.
To enforce the provisions of the Fire-Safer Cigarette and Firefighter Protection Act, the attorney general, the taxation and revenue department and the state fire marshal, their duly authorized representatives and other law enforcement personnel may examine the books, papers, invoices and other records of any person in possession, control or occupancy of premises where cigarettes are placed, stored, sold or offered for sale.


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UK Telecoms giant BT is to bring a new type of phone box to the streets of London in 2017.
The old red phone box may be all but obsolete now that everyone has a 4G-ready smartphone, but BT is planning to reboot the whole concept for the 21st century. A new service called LinkUK will be rolling out from next year, promising to provide the fastest public Wi-Fi in the country.
Link kiosks will be placed in major high streets across London, each enabling hundreds of users within range to access free ultrafast Wi-Fi while they’re out and about. Data speeds are expected to reach up to 1Gbps, which is a fair bit slower than 5G is expected to reach when it rolls out from 2020. However, this will represent a major advancement over existing public Wi-Fi speeds, as well as those of all but the very fastest (and thus rarely seen) 4G network areas.
These Links aren’t just advanced Wi-Fi hotspots, though. They will also provide mobile device charging through two USB ports, as well as access to maps and directions through a touchscreen tablet interface, not to mention free phone calls to landlines and mobiles.
In a nod to the smart city concept and the emerging Internet of Things - which will really accelerate once 5G rolls out - the Link kiosks will also contain sensors that can capture real-time environmental data, such as air and noise pollution levels, as well as temperature and traffic conditions.
Gerry McQuade, CEO, BT Wholesale and Ventures, said: “We’re evolving the phone box to make it relevant in the 21st century by offering people ultrafast Wi-Fi and a range of digital and information services entirely for free.”
Best of all, the Link kiosks won’t cost a penny of taxpayer money to install and run. Rather, they will be funded by advertising on each kiosk’s twin 55-inch displays. Installation shouldn’t prove overly disruptive either, as BT will simply be replacing hundreds of existing phone boxes with the new Links.
Once installed, the Link kiosks will take up less space than existing phone booths, and will ultimately be fewer in number.
LinkUK was formed through a partnership between BT, Intersection (which initially brought the Link concept to New York in January), and advertising company Primesight.
The first Links will be installed some time in 2017, and there will be at least 750 added to the streets of London over the next few years. BT also has plans to introduce the Links to other major UK cities over the coming months.
Useful reading : What is Li-Fi


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The Chancellor told MPs the furlough initiative would be extended beyond June for an additional four months, but employers would be expected to start sharing the payment of salaries from August in a bid to reduce the cost to the taxpayer.
- Government timeline for gradually lifting lockdown, explained
- The full list of changes to lockdown announced by Boris Johnson
- The UK reacts to new coronavirus lockdown rules
- Why you’re less likely to catch coronavirus outside than indoors, according to experts
- Contact tracing: How the Isle of Wight track-and-trace app trial will work
Here’s how different sectors of the economy responded to the Chancellor’s announcement to extend the furlough scheme.
Larger corporations warmly welcomed the move, saying it offered “much needed breathing space”. Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the CBI, added: “The Government must continue to keep a watchful eye on those industries and employees that remain at risk.”
The Institute of Directors said it was “delighted” by the decision, which would “bring significant relief” to employees, but added: “We now need further clarity around employers’ contributions. Many firms that would normally be on a strong footing are still in dire straits.”
The hospitality sector has been among the hardest hit. Industry leaders have suggested the full furlough scheme may need to be continued for parts of the sector to allow them to stay afloat.
UK Hospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls warned: “The full 80 per cent may need to be extended past July for some businesses in sectors, like hospitality, that will still operate at much reduced levels of trade, or not yet be able to open.”
The travel industry welcomed the extension, as many operators are having to make “incredibly difficult decisions about people’s jobs during this crisis”. But Mark Tanzer, chief executive of travel association ABTA, said “urgent intervention” was needed to support the travel industry to “cover refunds and potential travel restrictions”.
As many stores have been forced to remain closed, there are concerns over the salary share element. Tamara Hill, employment and skills policy adviser at the British Retail Consortium, said the sector would need to see “details in the coming days to clarify the expectation on employers”, in order to “ensure this is sustainable for business”.
The main trade unions strongly supported the decision to extend the scheme beyond June. TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said it was a “big relief for millions”.
“Changing the rules to allow part-time working is key to enabling a safe return to work. And maintaining the rate at 80 per cent is a win for the pay packets of working families.”
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said the announcement was “a message again to employers that the Government will stand behind them if they stand behind their workers. There should be no rush to redundancies”.


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In the midst of a new sales and marketing strategy, Celsius Holdings has partnered with GBS Smash! Brands to expand the availability of its calorie-reducing drink. Smash! Brands, the commercialization unit of food/beverage advisory firm GBS Growth Partners, will assist in the development of Celsius’ distributor and retailer network and initially focus on expanding the brand’s presence in California and Texas.
Celsius, a product that has primarily been used as a pre-workout drink, has gradually transitioned its messaging from “your ultimate fitness partner,” to its original marketing message as “your calorie-reducing drink” and “your negative calorie drink” and recently partnered with fitness infomercial king Tony Little as an endorser of the brand. To support the new marketing strategy, Smash! Brands will look to broaden Celsius’ target use and drive growth in non-traditional retail channels, such as heath clubs, colleges and office buildings, an area of expertise for the consulting firm. Smash! currently works with a number of upstart brands including Wolfgang Puck Iced Coffee, Rebootizer and Hangover Joe’s.
“Smash! Brands has the experience and connections to help us expand our customer base and accelerate the growth behind Celsius,” said Gerry David, the president and CEO of Celsius Holdings. “We’re excited to partner with Smash! Brands as they focus efforts on building our retail presence and help drive sales. We have worked diligently over the past few months on an aggressive growth strategy [and] we feel that adding Smash! Brands now to expand availability will leverage our consumer efforts.”
Here is Celsius’ press release announcing its partnership with GBS Smash! Brands:
Celsius®, the Leading Calorie Burning Beverage in the U.S. Joins Forces With Branding Leader GBS Smash! Brands to Lead Efforts to Expand Distributor and Customer Base, Accelerate Growth and Build Brand Traction
BOCA RATON, FL–(Marketwire – Sep 4, 2012) – Celsius Holdings, Inc., (PINKSHEETS: CELH) the creator and marketer of Celsius®, the world’s first calorie burning beverage backed by clinical science, announced today that they are partnering with Smash! Brands to help drive their commercialization efforts. Smash! Brands, the commercialization unit of GBS Growth Partners, will assist the Company in building its distributor and retailer network. Their initial focus will be on the California and Texas markets, and will eventually expand into other major markets across the US.
“Smash! Brands has the experience and connections to help us expand our customer base and accelerate the growth behind Celsius®,” said Gerry David, President and CEO of Celsius Holdings. “We’re excited to partner with Smash! Brands as they focus efforts on building our retail presence and help drive sales,” he continued. “We have worked diligently over the past few months on an aggressive growth strategy. We’ve completely repositioned Celsius®, including bringing on Tony Little as our new Fitness Ambassador, redesigning our graphics and packaging, implementing a new consumer communication/digital marketing plan, executing a strong demo/special event marketing strategy, and engaging 5W Public Relations, one of the country’s largest and most respected public relations firms based in New York. We feel that adding Smash! Brands now to expand availability will leverage our consumer efforts,” David continued.
Smash! Brands specialty is driving brand availability across channels, critical to creating traction for a brand. In the past, they have worked with brands such as Coca-Cola, Cinnabon and Honest Tea and more recently with Wolfgang Puck RTD Coffee, Rebootizer and Hangover Joe’s.
“We chose Smash,” said David, “because they have the ability to take Celsius® beyond the traditional channels like convenience stores. We feel strongly that being available at health clubs, colleges and office buildings, will help us build a loyal base of consumers who drink calorie burning Celsius® everyday.”
“We are extremely happy to be working with the Company,” said John Blackington, Managing Partner of GBS Growth Partners. “We have followed Celsius Holdings since it was created. It has a great brand with strong consumer loyalty, and now has a strong growth strategy and a focused leadership team to drive that growth. We know how to expand their market presence and are looking forward to working with them.”
Leading the Smash! Brand efforts will be Dan Wilder in Texas and Randy Smith in California. “Both Dan and Randy have strong experience building brands and creating traction,” stated Blackington.
About Celsius Holdings, Inc.
Celsius Holdings, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: CELH) markets Celsius®, which is backed by science. The Company is dedicated to providing healthier, everyday refreshment through science and innovation. For more information, please visit www.celsius.com.
About GBS Growth Partners
GBS Growth Partners, LLC, was founded in 2004. They are a leading strategic advisory and commercialization group in the food/beverage industry. For more information, please visit www.gbsgrowthpartners.com.


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Ticketmaster and CitySearch announced Tuesday morning that they are forming an "interactive alliance" to combine online ticketing with local information about restaurants, clubs, museums, movie listings, and shopping on CitySearch sites beginning in June. Alan Citron, vice president of multimedia for Ticketmaster, told Wired News that the ticketing giant has been negotiating with CitySearch for several months, and chose the firm because "no one can help us sell more tickets.... CitySearch is ahead of the game."
The CEO of CitySearch, Charles Conn, says the alliance is "a natural." "CitySearch provides perishable, up-to-date information about events," Conn explains. "The next stage is to want to buy tickets right there on our sites." Ticketmaster icons will pepper CitySearch sites, and a personalized service called "Scout" will notify CitySearch visitors by email when their favorite performers come to town.
Conn dismisses the notion that Ticketmaster's service charges - which can mount as high as US$10 for a single ticket - are exorbitant. "Ticketmaster sells out these shows," Conn declares. "The market would suggest that Ticketmaster's prices are not unreasonable. If they had trouble selling their tickets, I'd worry about it."
"It's very hard to build a compelling ticketing service without Ticketmaster," he adds.
Richard Tyler, the CEO of TicketWeb - which bills itself as "the online ticketing alternative" - disagrees. TicketWeb began selling tickets on the Web before Ticketmaster, in part because, Tyler says, "we believe that all these new technologies have made it possible for these services - which Ticketmaster has historically dominated - to be made available at much lower cost." Tyler points out that TicketWeb's service charge on a pair of tickets bought on the Web for a show at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle is $1.50. For the same tickets, Tyler says, Ticketmaster charges $6.50.
"Ticketmaster has the whole market in a headlock, and they're using the Net to jack up their margins even further, when they should be lower," Tyler complains.
Ticketmaster launched its own Web site in June 1995, providing event and venue information only. When the site began offering online ticket sales in December 1996, 5,000 tickets were sold in the first month. Last month, the figure had soared to 10 times that - $2 million in online sales for March alone. Ticketmaster sells nearly 60 million tickets a year at computerized retail outlets, box offices, and by phone. Tickets for much-anticipated events, like concerts by The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, only become available at Ticketmaster's site two hours after they go on sale by phone and at outlets, but Citron says that will change "by early summer."
Citron anticipates that Ticketmaster will be forging co-branding partnerships with other online services in the next few months. Ellen Siminoff of Yahoo! verifies that the ticketing giant had approached her firm to strike a deal earlier this year, but says that "even though we highly appreciate their content, we weren't able to come to terms."


text: The European Parliament has endorsed the reforms to geo-blocking that were agreed last year between the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament. Negotiators had agreed to put an end to unjustified geo-blocking, meaning that consumers should be allowed to purchase more products and services online from websites in other European countries. The rules will apply to three specific situations where there is no justification and no objective criteria for a different treatment of customers from different EU member states: the sale of goods without physical delivery; the sale of electronically supplied services, such as data storage and website management; and services provided in a specific physical location, such as tickets for events or amusement parks. In practice, this means that European consumers will be able to choose from which website they want to buy such products and services, without being blocked or re-routed automatically based on their nationality or the country where they're permanently or temporarily located, using payment methods that apply in any country. However, the sellers have no obligation to deliver the products all round the European Union. The European Council has yet to formally approve the reforms. The new regulations will apply nine months after their publication in the Official Journal, so that unjustified geo-blocking should no longer exist by the end of this year.


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Outside Red Deer’s hotels, parking lots sit empty as travellers stay home because of the COVID-19 virus.
What the long-term impact of the pandemic will mean to the tourism and hospitality industry is anyone’s guess right now.
It is clear though, recovery will be a long process.
Tourism Red Deer sent out a letter to hospitality and tourism players last week to update them on the organization’s efforts and to get a better sense of how the industry is doing.
“We have heard quite a bit of feedback saying, ‘yes, it’s tough,’” said Vicky Loughlin, Red Deer Tourism’s marketing and communications manager.
“They’re worried about basically the season after the next few months and what’s going to be happening, especially with weddings.
“We’re hearing a lot about brides panicking and wanting to postpone.”
Hotels have responded to the pandemic byboosting their cleaning efforts, but those measures are being undertaken for increasingly fewer guests.
“I’m under the impression now that they’re pretty much empty, because everyone is staying home,” said Loughlin.
Only half a dozen vehicles were in the parking lots of Cambridge Red Deer Hotel & Convention Centre on Gaetz Avenue and Radisson Hotel on 67th Street at noon Monday.
Baymont by Wyndham Red Deer also had fewer than a dozen vehicles parked outside and a notice at the front doors said a job fair planned for Monday was cancelled.
The Red Deer Advocate reached out to most of the city’s hotel chains, but got little response. Cambridge general manager Gil Valee referred calls to a special crisis team formed by the company to handle coronavirus-related inquiries.
The cancellation of almost all of Westerner Park’s upcoming events — some of which draw thousands of people — through April is being felt in the hotel and restaurant industry.
Some restaurants remain open and are following the province’s guidelines to reduce seating to create more social distancing.
“But a lot are choosing to close and offering delivery. The food services side has been trying to be creative in finding ways to deliver service and revenue.”
Creativity will be a key component of future efforts to rebuild the hospitality industry.
Tourism Red Deer is looking at ways to promote the area that is not focused on attracting new trade shows or other crowd-drawing events.
After weeks and months of social isolation and government warnings to avoid crowds, it is likely it will take some time before many people are once again comfortable in elbow-to-elbow settings.
Given that nearly half of visitors are here to visit family and friends, there is opportunity to build on that market.
“Our residents are typically playing host,” said Loughlin. Giving them ideas on ways to showcase the area could provide a lift to local businesses.
Tourism Red Deer is also working with the City of Red Deer on promoting the area.
“Our plans going forward are to focus at this time on culinary and food, outdoor recreation and the arts culture and heritage side of things.”
That will mean bringing together different businesses, individuals and groups in those areas in joint promotions. While social distancing restrictions are in place, efforts will not involve getting together to meet. That will come later.
“We’d like to open up that dialogue, whether it’s through a virtual meeting or an email thread, but just trying to pick those key players out of the community in each of those segments and look at developing those stories, products and packages going forward
“In such uncertain times, you want to plan. But at this point, we’re just trying to wrap our brains around our strategy and establishing our priorities for the next few weeks.”
The city is developing a business resource page to help local firms navigate COVID-19.
The federal and provincial governments have announced they will be helping businesses hurt by the pandemic. It is too early to say what sort of aid the hospitality industry may look for.
Right now, efforts are underway to get data on how the industry has been affected. The Alberta Hospitality and Lodging Association is asking its members for feedback and Economic Developers of Alberta is also doing research.
Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association president and CEO Dave Kaiser met with the provincial ministers of finance, and economic development, trade and tourism last week.
The association has asked that the deadline for payment of the tourism levy be extended to the end of September, with no penalty, and that the government suspend collecting GST and the federal carbon tax, and extend the deadline for filing and paying corporate individual income and municipal property taxes.
The association has also asked the government mark-up on liquor be reduced.
Additional funding for Travel Alberta when restrictions are lifted was another ask.


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The market for Khmer homebuyers purchasing property by instalments is booming, according to experts.
Keuk Narin, vice president of Asia Real Estate Cambodia, said the concept of buying homes by instalments in Cambodia is very attractive to those whom want to buy a house. Almost all housing projects that offer instalment purchases see good business, he said.
“Now around 60 per cent of housing buyers use the instalment purchase by deferred consideration directly to the borey investment, micro finance or bank.”
Adding this option can improve buying and selling, he also said.
Lay Rida, a member of the sales staff of Borey Peng Houth Investment Co, said the buyer is not the only one to profit; the company also gets profits from the instalment purchases. The company’s instalment service requires clients to pay one 40 per cent payment, then pay by instalment for 17 years with an interest rate for the loan at only 1.5 per cent per month.
“I don’t remember the number of clients on instalment purchase plans in our borey, I’m just aware that a lot of customers use the instalment purchase option,” she said.
The most popular housing building companies in Phnom Penh are Borey Peng Houth, Borey Pipup Thmai and Borey Vimean Phnom Penh, because the customers are aware of the quality and decoration of their buildings, Keuk Narin said.
In general, customers can buy their house by instalment purchase with the building housing investment and microfinance companies that get income at between 18 to 20 per cent per year, while banks have interest rates at 10 per cent. The customers have many options with this strategy, and this is also a good strategy for selling, he added.
Ouch Pysal, assistant president of Ly Hour Group, said purchasing on instalment helps his customers buy more houses, if they have the 40 per cent deposit.
“Both those who have enough money and those who lack money can buy houses. Now my company has around 80 per cent of our customers buying their houses by instalment,” he said.
His housing building prices range from $79,000 to $460,000, which customers can pay by instalment over 17 years, with an interest rate of 1 per cent per month.
So Phonnary, executive vice president of ACLEDA Bank, said the establishment of mortgages in Cambodia is increasing because of the increasing numbers of people who need houses.
At the end of September, the number of people taking out housing loans reached nearly 4,000 clients, with a total of $88 million owed, compared to the same time last year when the figure was $70 million, she said.
“Factors such as the growing population, and the growing economy are increasing the instalment loans as well.
“We allow customers to borrow for a housing purchase for 10 years with up to 70 per cent of the total housing price at 11 per cent per year.”
These loans improve the building and selling in Cambodia, and people are also able to purchase more, she added.
To contact the reporter on this story: Seun Son at [email protected]


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Risdall Marketing Group (RMG), a newer division of Risdall Advertising Agency, has created four new units of its own.
Now New Brighton-based RMG's umbrella includes Risdall Branding & Naming, Risdall Strategic Consultation and Risdall Marketing Research. Along with the divisions, RMG named as presidents Terri Lee (for the branding unit), John Risdall (consultation) and Frank Grubbs (marketing research).
The marketing group already had branding, consulting and research capabilities but decided to break them out individually to formalize those segments, said RMG president Tom Wilson.
"We're really going after new business and organic growth has been nice, but we haven't been concentrating on recognizing some of these groups," he said. "We're hoping the additional visibility will create more chatter among prospective clients."
The company also named Mark Arnold as president of a fourth, more quirky division: the Risdall Museum of Luminous Sculpture. Arnold is in charge of coordinating displays in the office of the many pieces of advertising artwork created at the agency. It's an approach to self-marketing by showing clients the Risdall way of life, Wilson said.
"Mark's charge is to make sure our culture comes through with art and everything else on the walls," he said.
Fallon Mpls picks up Cannes Lions
Fallon Worldwide made a healthy showing at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in Cannes, France, picking up seven awards.
The Minneapolis office won five of those, including a Silver Film Lion for three ads in the "Bahamavention" campaign, made for the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. The agency also won bronze Film Lions for five commercials from Holiday Inn's "Business Guys" campaign, and for two spots from Georgia-Pacific's "Brawny Academy" campaign.
The Web site for those ads also won a Cyber Lion, one of five doled out at the 75th annual awards festival.
Rotenberg expands its expertise
Rotenberg Associates, an attorney-led crisis management communications firm, has hired its second professional employee.
Stacy Lynn Bettison joined Minneapolis-based Rotenberg May 1. She has experience in environmental and employment issues, areas in which Rotenberg wants to expand. Bettison's past litigation experience also was attractive to firm founder Amy Rotenberg.
"She was a generalist litigator in her previous life, and we end up becoming experts in areas that we never thought we'd be experts on," Rotenberg said. "One day you have to become an expert on mad cow disease and the next day on software development."
Rotenberg started the crisis communication firm in 2004. The company specializes in guiding clients through reputation-damaging incidents, such as federal and state litigation, government and media investigations, white-collar crime, product recalls and employee crises.


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VoIP provider Vonage has launched a cool new app for iOS and Android devices, created specifically with the Facebook generation in mind. Vonage Mobile for Facebook (not to be confused with the general-purpose Vonage Mobile app) allows you to call your Facebook friends who also have the app on their cellphones for free, without using your minutes.
You can place VoIP calls over WiFi, 3G, and 4G networks in “most countries,” Vonage said. Some of the advantages of using Facebook Connect include zero configuration (no need to setup, register, or create screen names) and direct access to your Facebook friends list. You simply click on a friend’s name to place a call – the app will even show their profile picture and status update on the calling screen. A little Vonage logo denotes friends who have downloaded the app and the app will group friends who can be called for free and those available for IM via Facebook.
It also supports multitasking so your device will ring with incoming calls even if the app isn’t running.
Vonage Mobile for Facebook is a free download for iPhone and iPod touch (iPad version is coming soon) from the App Store. Its Android counterpart is available on Android Market and versions for other mobile platforms are also in the works.
Vonage Mobile for Facebook (screnshot 001)
Vonage Mobile for Facebook (screnshot 002)
Vonage Mobile for Facebook (screnshot 003)
Vonage Mobile for Facebook (screnshot 004)
Vonage Mobile for Facebook (screnshot 005)
Read more in Vonage’s press release


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The 2018 North American International Auto Show, also known as the Detroit Motor Show, will be open to the public this weekend. And when car enthusiasts and potential buyers look for the best new car they can look forward to, most of them will see full-time four-wheel-drive trucks and SUVs to better navigate the snow-capped streets of the car’s city.
Not all new cars and exhibition cars are trucks and SUVs. Hyundai Motor showcased the media the new Veloster to be released later this year. Kia showed a new Forte sedan. Honda unveiled a new Insight hybrid sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
But concept vehicles like Chevy Silverado, Ram, Ford Ranger and even the BMW X2 and Nissan XMotion are both trucks and crossovers.
The public shift from two-door and four-door passenger cars is determining that carmakers invest R & D funds in trucks and SUVs.
For the past decade, GM, Ford and Chrysler have given up mid-size pickups, but GM is the first to get back, and now Ford is also in this ranger.
The new Ranger showcased in Detroit looks rough and upset, and is part of the Ford Truck family. It is based on Ford trucks of the same name marketed in Australia, New Zealand, Africa and other markets. It has a steel front and rear bumper, mounted on a steel frame, a 2.3-liter engine, a front “bash plate” and a 10-speed automatic transmission.
Fiat Chrysler launches new version of Rampika, the most profitable and important of the FCA lineup in the United States. Last year, the carmaker sold more than 500,000 Ram pickups, drawing some of Ram’s styling and automotive road vehicles.
The new Ram will 48V battery and 300-watt lithium-ion battery together to improve fuel economy and torque.
Mercedes is showing off a new version of its G-Class that was originally commissioned by Iran’s Shah, who wants to have a deluxe version of an admirable German military vehicle. It is now sold to customers who have not the right image for the Range Rover or Toyota Land Cruiser.
The new G-Class will overwhelm 27-inch water and climb up the hillside, 9.5 inches above ground level. Dieter Zetsche, Mercedes’s chief executive, who ran the Chrysler-Jeep business and remains a huge jeep fan-In fact, he called the G-Class and Jeep Wrangler this week “World Sporting Utilities Two symbols. ”


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In May, South Korean tech giant Samsung (OTC:SSNLF) filed for a patent titled “Programmable Blockchain Solid State Drive and Switch.” Although details about the recently designed system are scanty, a lot of people in the sector are already pointing out the significance of this technology. It appears like most corporations are also following the trend, with several having filed patent applications.
Samsung Patents New Programmable Tech
Patent wars are not a new phenomenon in the tech sector as there have been several legal battles over the same. In the tech sector, they go back to the …
Get latest cryptocurrency news on bitcoin, ethereum, initial coin offerings, ICOs, ethereum and all other cryptocurrencies. Learn How to trade on cryptocurrency exchanges.


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First image of the new Toyota Corolla TCR
Toyota Gazoo Racing Argentina has pulled the covers off its new Toyota Corolla TCR ahead of its racing debut in 2022.
Toyota driver Matías Rossi is completing the first laps of the new car at the Oscar Cabalen circuit in Argentina today.
“The first day for the new Toyota Corolla TCR. Spectacular work done by the whole team, it’s a great car,” wrote Rossi on his social channels.
Toyota Gazoo Racing Argentina stated that the car will be available to customers worldwide in 2022.


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Verily, the life sciences arm of Google-parent company Alphabet, raised $1 billion from investors to support its healthcare play beyond research. Verily plans to use the funds to bolster growth in key areas like investments in new strategic partnerships and potential acquisitions.
The influx of cash should help Verily's ongoing pivot toward commercializing health products. Most of Verily's previous work in healthcare has focused on research: Verily's conducting a study in conjunction with biopharmaceutical firm Gilead Sciences that aims to identify the genomic cause of inflammatory disease, for example.
And it's also partnering with Duke University and Stanford Medicine to research risk factors that lead to disease onset. But Verily's recent initiatives suggest the firm is focusing more on developing and marketing products beneficial to healthcare stakeholders across the ecosystem to drive revenue.
For example, Verily spun out a joint venture with sleep-tracking device company ResMed in July 2018 to help providers treat sleep apnea, an underdiagnosed disorder linked with $150 billion in annual US economic costs. And the firm formed a pact with Walgreens in December 2018 that allows Verily to market health products in Walgreens locations, including devices and software to help manage diabetes and improve medication adherence.
Commercializing more of its products makes sense if Verily's to keep pace with its big tech competitors:
- Unlike Verily, Apple and Amazon both currently market products to hospitals.Apple's signing up more hospital clients to its mobile patient electronic health record solution, while Amazon's selling new medical software to health firms.
- But Verily can leverage its partnerships with medical device companies to tap into a revenue stream currently inaccessible to Amazon and Apple. While Apple's touting the latest Apple Watch as a valuable medical tool, we think its unlikely the wearable will be used in clinical settings in the near future. Physicians balked at the Watch's ability to stack up against the accuracy of existing monitors, questioning whether Apple might trigger false positives and unnecessarily send a flood of patients to the ER. And although Amazon's selling an exclusive line of health devices and has an Alexa team devoted to healthcare, those offerings are primarily consumer-facing. Verily likely has a leg up on its big tech counterparts when it comes to marketing medical devices, with partnerships with big names like Dexcom, Sanofi, and Sensile Medical to develop devices spanning less intrusive blood glucose monitors and "all-in-one" medical-grade insulin pumps. Hitting on one of those products — and bringing it to market — would be a big win for Verily.
Verily's financing also suggests 2019 could be another landmark year for digital health funding. Digital health smashed previous record funding levels with ease in 2018, due in part to big tech's active role in the sector.
The top 10 US tech companies by market cap participated in 27 healthcare startup funding rounds in 2018 through Q3, for example. If Verily's early participation in the funding market is echoed by other US tech giants in 2019, funding will likely continue at current torrid pace.


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After recent research revealed that approximately 5000 tonnes of aluminium from caps and closures could be recovered nationally amounting to more than £2000, Alupro launched the “you can leave your cap on” campaign.
The initiative, launched in Kent last month, is part of a trial campaign with four local authorities. The programme encourages households to screw the tops back on empty glass bottles, before recycling them.
'The market for aluminium bottle closures is growing rapidly, particularly for wine bottles, so it is important that the consumer gets in the habit of recycling them so that the aluminium can be captured for reprocessing,' comments Alupro's executive director Rick Hindley. 'The message to the public is simple. Screwing the top back on the empty bottle before recycling is the easiest way for people to do their bit to recycle this valuable material.'
For further information, visit the Alupro website.back


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Tens of millions of Americans can’t afford their prescription drugs and the debate over how to ensure access to affordable drugs is hotly contested. One of the biggest strawman arguments propped up by Big Pharma interests, in order to block American patients from accessing prescription drugs at more affordable prices offered in other countries, is to suggest that prescription drugs in other countries aren’t safe. It is a ruse. In fact, most prescription drugs sold in America come from abroad.
Fresh details regarding the safety of international prescription drugs and their prevalence in America came to light in conjunction with a House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing, March 9, 2021. Here are some highlights from a report and testimony given by the Government Accountability Office provided in conjunction with the hearing on the Food and Drug Administration’s Overseas Inspections:
“According to FDA, as of May 2020, 74 percent of establishments manufacturing active pharmaceutical ingredients and 54 percent of establishments manufacturing finished drugs for the U.S. market were located overseas. As of March 2019, FDA data showed that India and China had the most manufacturing establishments shipping drugs to the United States, with about 40 percent of all foreign establishments in these two countries.”
Inspections conducted by some foreign regulators, when available, can substitute for FDA inspections. In light of the COVID-19 pause in inspections, FDA expanded the use of the mutual recognition agreement it has with the European Union to include inspections conducted outside of Europe by European regulators as a full substitute for FDA inspections. However, this only applies to certain European regulators whose inspections FDA has found to be equivalent to its own.17 Inspections from other select countries (such as Australia and Japan) can be used for oversight purposes, but are not considered by FDA as substitutes for an FDA inspection.”
“These tools include relying on inspections conducted by foreign regulators, requesting and reviewing records and other information, and sampling and testing drugs. FDA has determined that inspections conducted by certain European regulators are equivalent to and can be substituted for an FDA inspection”
Prescription drugs from accredited international pharmacies are safe. For example, all of the pharmacies accredited by the Canadian International Pharmacy Association boast a 100% perfect safety record over more than fifteen years serving millions of U.S. online consumers. As of 2020, 2.3 million Americans import medications, and the number of people ordering their medications online is growing according to the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies.
There are still some risks as rogues or scams do exist online targeting prescription drug patients. CPPI recommends searching only certified websites for prescription drugs from licensed international pharmacies. Click here, for more information on how to find trusted online pharmacies.


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By Erik J. Martin, CTW Features
More homeowners than ever before are decking their halls with dread and amplifying their exteriors during the Halloween season. Consider that spending for this spooky holiday hit a record high of $10.6 billion in 2022, per the National Retail Foundation, up from $8 billion spent in 2020 – with 75% of these consumers purchasing holiday décor, which increasingly includes animatronics and large outdoor figures such as the 12-foot Home Depot skeleton that’s been all the rage the past three years.
But while Halloween decorating and enthusiasm around October 31 festooning are on the rise, so are the risks associated with such. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that 3,200 Halloween-related injuries occur every year, on average. Many of these injuries are caused by decorations, including carving a pumpkin, using a ladder to hang up décor and electric shocks from faulty wires when employing electric lights.
That’s why it’s crucial to follow safety recommendations when getting your home in the haunting spirit, the experts concur.
“Embracing safety best practices during Halloween is essential. Not only does it safeguard you, your loved ones and your property, but it also allows you to fully immerse yourself in the spirit of the season without the looming specter of accidents or lawsuits,” says Kimberly King, a body safety educator, homeowner and protective mom.
The first rule of thumb for ensuring Halloween decorating safety is to any candles or flames. FEMA reported that, between 2017 and 2019, an average of 9,200 fires were reported over the last three days of October, causing 25 deaths, 100 injuries, and over $100 million in property loss. Instead, use flameless or battery-operated candles. Also, avoid outdoor bonfires and tiki torches.
“Additionally, make sure to install Halloween decorations away from heat sources like light bulbs and electrical sources. And try using nonflammable décor materials whenever possible,” suggests Sharon Cooksey, a consumer fire safety educator in Greensboro, North Carolina.
If you plan to hang up electrical lights in or around your home, inspect each light and strand carefully.
“If you notice any defective or broken lights or wires, do not use them because they can cause a fire. Also, don’t nail or staple extension cords or electrical wires in a way that would damage it and start a fire,” insurance industry expert Michael Orefice, senior vice president of operations for SmartFinancial, says. “In addition, don’t overload extension cords. If you are decorating outside with lights, animatronics or other plug-in electric items, make sure they are meant for outdoor use.”
Avoid connecting more than three light strings or electrical items to one line/extension cord. Always plug outdoor decorations into GFCI-protected outlets. Only use electrical decorations approved by testing labs such as UL, ETF or CSA. And remember to turn off all electrical decorations before leaving home or going to bed.
“When using a ladder, opt for a fiberglass or wooden ladder, as metal conducts electricity. Pick an appropriate ladder height, too – the latter should extend 3 feet past the roof’s edge,” adds Cooksey.
Ensure that any outdoor props or animatronics are well secured in the event of heavy winds or storms (ideally, affix them using heavy-duty lawn stakes and/or anchors and cables).
“Keep your yard clear and well-lit, as well,” advises Orefice. “Clutter in your yard and walkway can create tripping hazards. If you are decorating your yard, make sure pathways are clear and brightly illuminated. Keep your yard clear of any leaves, hoses and rocks. And make sure the bodily injury liability portion of your homeowners insurance policy has sufficient coverage to protect you if someone is injured on your property.”
Lastly, if you have valuable outdoor décor, like giant or expensive animatronic figures, consider investing in a home security surveillance camera(s) so you can discourage thieves or vandals and keep closer tabs on your props.


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Dyno Nobel has launched the newest addition to its electronic initiation portfolio, the EZshot®.
This technology offers users the benefits of accurate electronic timing with the ease of use of the NONEL® shock tube, the company says.
“The EZshot detonator series is an exclusive design for underground perimeter blasting. This system gives the customer the ability to use electronic timing for improved perimeter control, helping them to save on time and overall production costs,” Dyno Nobel said.
“With the same J-Hook hookup as NONEL, no new training is required, allowing the customer to quickly move forward on all projects.”
The electronic detonator, EZshot LP, has a high-strength detonator in a heavy walled copper shell with an electronic circuit board timing chip providing precision and accuracy.
“The smart chip technology in the detonator delivers the timing needed that cannot be reached with tradition non-electric detonators,” the company said.
The electronic detonator comes in factory-programmed delay times, ranging from 1,100 to 8,000 milliseconds, with the long period delay timing ideal for underground perimeter blasting, it says.
The EZshot LP shock tube is identical to the trusted and familiar NONEL LP shock tube Dyno Nobel has been producing since the 1970s, in a new colour.
“This reliable design had stood the test of time and blasters will be familiar with the J-hook connection, virtually eliminating additional training time. EZshot LP takes advantage of the shock tube system allowing wireless communication from initiation to detonation,” the company said.


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(CBS DETROIT) – The weather is not the only thing leaving these people heated.
“I would never use fed ex again,” said FedEx customer Tricia Rush.READ MORE: 'Survivor' Contestant Michelle Yi Describes Frightening Santa Monica Assault
They’re accusing FedEx Ground in Oak Park of bad customer service and failing to deliver packages on-time.
“We came up here last week. They didn’t have the package and then we’re up here again and she’s saying that the packages are just sitting on trailers so they don’t know when they’re going to come off the trailers,” said FedEx Customer Tiffany Moor.
Customers say they are fed up with FedEx after numerous attempts to pick-up packages end with disappointment.
“It’s like do I reorder these things or do I wait to receive them but they can’t tell me when I’m going to receive them,” said Moor.
Word about the tardy deliveries was shared on social media where comments of frustrations flooded timelines accusing FedEx Ground of holding-up shipments for weeks.READ MORE: Fantasy Football Start Or Sit Week 8: Can Kirk Cousins Put Up Points On The Cowboys Defense?
Tuesday, customers brought their concerns to staff at the Greenfield location looking for answers and packages but walked away with neither.
“Everybody’s so frustrated. It’s like you can’t do nothing. It’s just sitting here and you can’t get your package and they’re not willing to help you,” said Rush.
FedEx corporate officials say the company is working to restore service levels.
The shipping agency released a statement saying in part: FedEx Grounds is experiencing a surge of package volume due to e-commerce growth during the current pandemic that has resulted in temporary service delays for some packages in the Oak Park area.
Customers are encouraged to continue to track orders online.MORE NEWS: Michigan Supreme Court Looks At Law That Makes Convicts Pay Bills


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Thermoformed packaging product provider DMD 2000 is to continue its expansion following a new £2 million investment.
A branch of high street chain Greggs, in Scotland’s Arbroath, is being terrorised daily by a bird that staff have named Steven Seagull.
British consumer spending confidence is at its highest recorded level, according to analysts Nielsen.
Trade body the Craft Bakers’ Association (CBA) has raised concerns about the impact of business rates hikes with Chancellor Philip Hammond.
Food safety expert professor Chris Elliott has called for a new approach to food at The City Food Lecture 2017.
Two Magpies Bakery in Southwold has hit the national press after advertising sausage rolls for £8.17 – a 177% mark-up on the usual £2.95 price tag.
Morrisons category manager of bakery Andy Clegg will be keynote speaker at this year’s British Society of Baking (BSB) spring conference.
Bakers have hit out at a report naming businesses that have underpaid staff – saying it is ‘misleading’ and has branded ‘honest people’ as criminals.
The annual day to celebrate toast is back on 23 February in association with Kingsmill and Tiptree World Bread Awards.
British Baker spent a day with one of India’s leading food distributors, TJUK Trade Networks, which showed multimedia reporter Ashley Williams the process of delivering baked goods from start to finish.
Italian baked goods supplier Crosta & Mollica has secured a listing in 500 Sainsbury’s stores nationwide for its five-core range.
Gluten-free bakery brand Genius has unveiled a soft breakfast biscuit that it claims is a first for UK free-from aisles.
A new Greggs shop in a hospital in the Midlands is focusing on soups and salads rather than the traditional Greggs fare.
To mark his first Valentine’s Day in London, Cronut inventor Dominique Ansel has turned his pastries pink.
Muffin Break has introduced the first of a new range of limited-edition toasties into its offer, which will run from 2 February – 3 May 2017.
Northern Irish independent baker Graham’s Bakery has relaunched its range of traditional Irish biscuits and secured a deal to export products to Mexico.
High street sandwich chain Subway is to give away free six-inch subs to anyone who buys a large drink on 14 February.
Premier Foods-owed Mr Kipling has introduced a 3ft tall cake and flower bouquet in time for Valentine’s Day.
Gluten-free brand Mrs Crimble’s is to launch three new cake bars in supermarkets from April.
Muffin Break has unveiled new range Curious Creations, which will bring the launch of a new muffin each month.
Cornish pasty maker Warrens will open a new store in Sutton Coldfield, its first venture outside its West Country heartland.
Primal Joy, which makes all-natural, gluten-free snacks and granolas, has unveiled a new look and improved packaging as part of its continued expansion.
Premier Foods is launching a range of indulgent Choc Tarts this month under the Cadbury Cakes brand.
Blackpool-based Great Northern Sandwich Co (GNSC) has recalled six chicken sandwich products because of possible contamination.
Premium pie and quiche brand Higgidy has announced a new brand renovation programme, and aims to “disrupt” the category.
Food and agriculture company Cargill has partnered with the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), to expand their joint actions on child labour in Côte d’Ivoire.
Hampshire-based KernPack, distributor of specialist packaging machinery and solutions, has announced an exclusive UK and Ireland sales and distribution agreement with General System Pack (GSP).
Richard Pennycook, the man credited with saving The Co-op Group, is to step down as CEO.
The latest consumer spending figures from Barclaycard have shown that, following a lull in December, record expenditure on essential items drove a 4.4% uplift in consumer spending in January.
Birds Eye has announced the three finalists who will battle it out to become the first ever winner of the Birds Eye Fish Finger Sandwich Awards.
Aldi has overtaken The Co-operative to become Britain’s fifth-largest supermarket chain.
Consumer uncertainty following the Brexit referendum made for a challenging financial year, Sayers the Bakers has reported.
Tesco is selling 800g loaves of Kingsmill at two-for-£1.20 – the lowest price for a major bread brand in at least five years.
The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (RACA) has launched the eighth Master of Culinary Arts (MCA), aimed at pastry chefs, head chefs and restaurant managers.
Somerset–based equipment firm Brook Food Processing Equipment has launched an online shop for bakery accessories and sundries.
Researchers have been given the go-ahead to carry out field trials of genetically modified (GM) wheat in Hertfordshire.
Kent-based Speciality Breads has launched a new Pan Rustic Cranberry Roll.
Former Morrisons chairman and life president Sir Ken Morrison CBE has died.
Strong food-to-go sales have driven a 9.1% increase in like-for-like revenue at Greencore Group in the 13 weeks to 30 December 2016.
There are many canine bakeries popping up online, but Millie and Ruby’s in Great Harwood is among the first to open a bricks-and-mortar bakery devoted entirely to dogs.
Nationwide cake delivery service Mums Bake Cakes is looking to recruit more bakers to sell their products through its website.
A bakery in Fleetwood has pleaded guilty to three offences under food safety and hygiene legislation after mouse droppings were found on the premises.
Following the announcement that retailer Tesco and wholesaler Booker Group will be merging to create the “UK’s leading food business”, the industry has given its thoughts on the impact that the £3.7bn deal will have on the food sector.
Scottish-based business Maclean’s Highlands Bakery has secured its first Lidl contract, worth more than £120k, for its oatcakes.
Tesco and wholesaler Booker Group – which includes the Premier, Londis and Budgens symbol groups – are merging to create “the UK's leading food business”.
Internationally renowned boulanger Eric Kayser has opened his first UK site on London’s Baker Street. Alice Cooke caught up with him to find out what took him so long to get here.
All 13 staff who were due to be laid off from Olivia’s Artisan Bakery in Darlington, County Durham, have retained their jobs following new investment.
High street sandwich chain Subway will be donating 50 six-inch subs to help with the afternoon ‘foot-tea’ event in Yeadon, Yorkshire.
Scottish cake manufacturer Kirriemuir, which is part of the Bells Food Group, will expand its Signature Gingerbread cake range with two new variants that will appeal to the export market.
Greggs has revealed its Norwich bakery is to close as part of a major shake-up of its manufacturing and distribution structure, which is feared to have put hundreds of jobs at risk.


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Home sales in the Baltimore region rose almost 16 percent in October, the highest level of home sales for the month of October in at least ten years.
As reported by the Baltimore Business Journal,
During the month, 2,965 sales closed across the Baltimore area, up 15.7 percent from 2,562 in October 2014, according to data released Tuesday by Rockville-based RealEstate Business Intelligence. The median sales prices dropped 1.7 percent year-over-year to $235,000. Despite the overall drop, prices rose in every local jurisdiction except for Howard County.
Townhome sales realized the largest increase, followed by single family homes. Condo sales declined.
The article summarized how each jurisdiction in the region fared in October:
- Anne Arundel County — 661 sales, prices up 2.3 percent to $301,900
- Baltimore City — 613 sales, prices up 5.2 percent to $105,000
- Baltimore County — 847 sales, prices up 1.4 percent to $214,900
- Carroll County — 181 sales, prices up 0.9 percent to $287,500
- Harford County — 344 sales, prices up 2.7 percent to $231,100
- Howard County — 319 sales, prices down 3.3 percent to $387,000


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Argos red-faced after website blunder advertises Nokia's £450 Lumia 800 smartphone for just £120
Catalogue retailer Argos has apologised for offering Nokia's Lumia 800 smartphone for just £120.
The too-good-to-be-true price even sparked claims by a Russian blogger in Moscow of a pricing conspiracy.
Argos' usual price is £449.99 but on Saturday it was selling Nokia's SIM free flagship smart phone for £119.99.
Blunder: Argos' usual price is £449.99 but on Saturday it was selling Nokia's SIM free flagship smart phone for £119.99
'As one of the UK’s leading general merchandise retailers, Argos offers more than 35,000 products online and it continually updates its pricing in line with market conditions and customer demand.
'Argos can confirm that due to an error, the incorrect price for the Nokia Lumia 800 was published on argos.co.uk for a limited period on Saturday 21st January 2012. Argos has since removed the incorrect information from its website and sincerely apologises for this genuine mistake.
'Argos is in the process of contacting all affected customers and a full refund will be paid,' said a spokesperson.
The deal was first spotted by bargain-hunters on consumer website hotukdeals.com. According to the website, the anonymous, user generated post had clocked up 167,332 views by Monday evening, adding another 3,293 overnight.
Too good to be true: Catalogue retailer Argos has apologised for offering Nokia's Lumia 800 smartphone for just £120. The deal was first spotted by bargain-hunters on hotukdeals.com
Argos would not confirm how many orders had been placed but said it was a 'tiny proportion' of the number of views quoted on hotukdeals.
How Twitter spread new of the bargain
Argos' correction did not prevent news of the bargain spreading via social media. The £119.99 price had already been tweeted as an 'amazing deal' on Twitter.
Tech bloggers, keen to avoid missing the news of the offer, scrambled to pass details on to followers.
Tech blogger Vlad Savov, 5,446 followers, had been tipped off by a software developer Paul O'Brien, 20,201 followers.
O'Brien had been tipped off by tweets from hotukdeals, 28,477 followers, saying: 'Nokia Lumia 800 Sim free IN stock was £449.99 but now £119.99.'
Savov telephoned Argos Customer Service before publishing, suspecting the price was an error. He was told it was correct and that it had been offered before at this price.
'It was that it had been available at this price previously that convinced me this was a very deep discount,' said Savov.
Spreading the word: Software developer Paul O'Brien, 20,201 Twitter followers, had been tipped off by tweets from hotukdeals
'I can confirm that due to a genuine error, an incorrect price for the Nokia Lumia 800 was also published on argos.co.uk for one day in early December 2011. We removed the incorrect information from the website urgently on that day and the small number of affected customers were contacted and paid full refunds,' said Argos' spokesperson.
When reports started appearing online that Argos was notifying customers it was a misprice, Savov updated his Twitter feed and blog post with the disappointing news.
'If it had been available at this price it would have been worth buying for resale,' Savov told This Is Money.
Mobile phone resellers are currently offering around £250 for a new Nokia Lumia 800 Sim free handset and on eBay it sells for around £350.
'Legendary' Moscow blogger casts doubt over deal
Interest reached Moscow when Eldar Murtazin, Russia's leading mobile phone blogger tweeted about the offer.
Murtazin has history with Nokia. He has been credited by Forbes magazine with a 'legendary' ability to move Nokia's share price with his views.
Shifting stock: Murtazin has history with Nokia. He has been credited by Forbes magazine with a 'legendary' ability to move Nokia's share price with his views
He has also been subject to legal action by Nokia to retrieve what the mobile phone company said was its property - products, confidential and proprietary information and intellectual property - in Murtazin's possession.
Did Murtazin's 27,931 followers think Argos' offer was an amazing deal, a distress sale to shift stock or a mistake?
Murtazin tweeted it was a deep discount to shift stock. 'Argos cut off price for nokia 800. They have no sale before, nokia fail - thats so obvious for most people :-)', he tweeted adding 'official statement from Argos that it is mistake - unofficial they sold out stock of nokia 800.'
Savov described Argos advertising a price of £119.99 as a hoax. Such deep discounts in the tech world signify a distress sale of something that is about to be discontinued or is not selling.
'It is damaging to the reputation of Nokia's device which is its best smart phone,' he said.
The handset is Nokia's first device to offer Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system. It went on sale in the UK in November.
On the other hand, interest in the deal might reflect the handset's desirability.
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Jimmy Johns Stung Again by Sprouts
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jimmy Johns may have to rethink the sprouts it splashes on its sandwiches.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says raw clover sprouts from Jimmy John’s are linked to 12 cases of e-coli poisoning in five states, including Missouri and Kansas. The illnesses occurred between Dec. 25 and Jan. 15 and two of the victims were hospitalized.
In most sprout outbreaks the sprouts come to the restaurant already contaminated and the restaurant is not to blame for the contamination itself. Contamination usually happens when the seeds are grown or harvested and the bacteria is impossible to wash off.
USA Today reports that the outbreak comes a year after raw alfalfa sprouts from one of the chain’s suppliers were linked to 140 salmonella illnesses. Sprouts from the chain’s suppliers were also linked to a 2009 salmonella outbreak in several Midwestern states and were suspected in an E. coli outbreak in Boulder, Colo. in 2008.
Jimmy John’s, based in Illinois, switched from using alfalfa sprouts to using clover sprouts because they are easier to clean. But the CDC warns all raw sprouts need warm and humid conditions to grow which encourages bacterial growth. Many restaurants have stopped serving them because of this.
The government recommends that the very young, elderly, pregnant and others with compromised immune systems stay away from raw sprouts completely although cooked sprouts are safe to eat.


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New Delhi, May 21: After Delhi, now AirAsia added one more new flying destination to its list. This time the airline Vishakhapatnam as the new destination.
In an attempt to attract air travellers, AirAsia India launched a new scheme under which visitors can book a flight ticket at Rs 1 per km.
The new offer has been launched on Thursday, May 21 and booking under the same scheme can be done till May 24, 2015. The travel period for the offer is between Jun 18, 2015 and May 31, 2016.
Following the launch offer, an AirAsia flight ticket from Bengaluru to Vishakhapatnam would cost Rs 1,400 (all-inclusive), said an AirAsia official.
The airline also started its operations from Delhi from Thursday. The airline will connect New Delhi with Bengaluru, Guwahati and Goa.
The airline also offered all-inclusive fares starting at Rs 1,500 for the New Delhi-Guwahati sector, and Rs 1,700 for the New Delhi-Goa as well as New Delhi-Bengaluru sectors.
Currently, the airline operated its flights from and to Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Goa, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Pune. Delhi and Vishakhapatnam are the latest additions to the list.


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Locked and Loaded, Gun Fans Stop Buyingby
Americans, apparently, may finally have enough guns and ammunition.
Cabela’s, a chain of outdoor stores that specialize in hunting and fishing equipment, said this morning the firearms market is cooling drastically.
Sales at Cabela’s stores open more than one year plummeted 10.1 percent in the recent quarter, primarily because of sluggish firearms sales and a “much sharper than expected” decline in ammunition buying, says Chief Executive Tommy Millner. Excluding guns and ammo, same-store sales were down only 3.5 percent for the retailer, which is based in Sidney, Neb.
The thinning crowd of gun buyers should not have been a surprise. In October, Cabela’s warned that the market was cooling “significantly.” FBI background checks, a leading indicator of firearm demand, have also been dropping. Federal applications to make a gun purchase last month were one-third fewer than a year ago.
The industry, meanwhile, is coming off record highs. Background checks peaked immediately after the Sandy Hook elementary school massacre in December 2012, on fears that tighter gun control laws would soon follow. But such legislation never really materialized, and background checks started tailing off over the summer.
At an analyst meeting early this month, Smith & Wesson CEO James Debney said the industry is “coming out of this surge period into what we would call a more normal environment, which is generally free of influence of some fear or uncertainty about increased legislation.”
Despite the dip in the gun market, Cabela’s managed to increase total sales 4.9 percent, to $1.2 billion, and raise profit 5.5 percent, to $94.7 million. Investors, however, were clearly focused on the firearms miss. Shares plummeted almost 11 percent in early trading this morning.